Care, while I somewhat agree with your assesment that malpractice rates are out of control and are causing GP's, as well as many Healthcare workers and Hospitals to pass along those costs to the the public or just plain cut back on services. I don't think that this is a result of the insurance companies actually trying to recover losses in the stock market or increase profits on the trading floor to pad the bottom line for the shareholders. While yes , these comnpanies are in the business to make money and are "for profit" companies, I personally don't see anything wrong with that. While of course others are free to disagree with me on that point and I guess when you get right down to it. thats the real issue here, are insurance companies entitled to make a profit. While I understand you see it as a company making money off the pain and suffer of others, and I see it as company making money for providing a much needed service. I do believe, that all these issues while linked. liability, malpractice, etc.etc are all contributing factors to the high costs of medical care and can be addressed withing the framework of our Govt. and done so in a manner that does not mandate healthcare for all. It would be my goal here to have a healthcare system that make healthcare available and affordable for those that wish it have it, as it should be in a a free society such as ours. Now while that may be somewhat old fashioned I suppose, in my mind that thinking should never go out of style. To me this issue is a problem easily resolved once you get the special interests out of the way and actually work in the problem. Those special interests are on both sides of the isle and the majority of people who want and need affodable healthcare are usually caught in the middle. Now you asked me for a few suggestions that I might make, those were just a few in my previous post. While I understand that not one single issue is the cause when you take them in combination and adress them one by one, then you will have something. Again, though Care. and you know I respect and admire your opinion, however on this issue you must understand that my position is acutally quite clear. My position is that the Federal Govt. is not chartered under the constitution to provide healthcare for it's citizens, and keeping this in mind, while I understand the need to reform costs and bring them under cnotrol in the healthcare industry. The framework is actually in place at least in my mind to do these things without a massive Federal Govt. intervention in a private industry. Still further, as a suggestion, I submit all those that are advocating "nationalized healthcare" in whatever form it happens to be in, should consider a constitutional amendment that works within the framework of our form of Govt.
ewer medical malpractice claims are being filed. States that passed tort reform saw a significant drop in the number of claims filed, and those that did not pass reform also saw a decline, according to Gen Re, a reinsurer of medical malpractice insurance companies. To explain the trend, analysts point to the results of patient safety initiatives, including better risk management; fewer “frivolous” suits; the increasing costs of bringing a case to trial, which may have caused plaintiffs’ attorneys to concentrate on cases with the greatest recovery potential; and society’s growing concern about the impact of litigiousness.
But the dollar amount of each claim is increasing. In a report on the medical malpractice insurance environment, Gen Re notes that claim costs for physicians and surgeons rose 7 percent and 9.5 percent for hospitals. Likewise, the insurance broker Aon, in its Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability 2006 Benchmark Analysis, examining more than 47,700 claims representing more than $4.4 billion of incurred losses, found that while claim frequency is stabilizing, the average size of claims continues to increase at a rate of 6 percent a year. The average amount paid to plaintiffs increased only 3 percent, while amounts paid to defend against liability claims rose 17 percent as hospitals mount a more aggressive defense of claims.
Claims, Jury Awards and Settlements: A report on the state’s medical malpractice insurance market by the Florida Department of Insurance shows the breakdown of claims payments in 2006. Insurers paid out $602 million on 3,811 closed claims, with 62 percent going for economic damages and 38 percent for noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering.
III - Medical Malpractice
A little light reading on the malpractice issue and the liability issue. As I suggested putting caps on jury awards is just one factor in a big picture.
In a competitive market, however, driving such hard bargains is impossible, so relative prices reflect actual relative costs. The kind of plan the Obama administration envisions gives us the worst of both worlds. Its artificially low premiums will drive most private insurance out of business. Once there are no private insurers left, there will be no place left to shift costs. In a very short time, then, we'll have no reduction in cost due to cost shifting, and we'll have substantially less competition. The absence of competition will result in higher actual costs. This has been the experience in countries with nationalized health care, which is why many have an even worse entitlement problem looming than the United States.
The better solution is to eliminate the preferential tax treatment of employer-provided insurance. That also, indirectly, would reduce the scale of the other major problem in American health care: covering the uninsured. Now it is very difficult to purchase insurance if you are not employed or if you work for a very small employer. Once insurance migrates out of large employer pools, sufficiently large pools will become possible with individualized insurance. Customers then would be able to vote with their feet if they are unsatisfied, and those who don't work for large employers no longer would have to pay higher premiums than everyone else.
Health care reform: The real problem is lack of competition - STLtoday.com
I also mentioned a little something about providing an evironment that promotes competetion which the Federal Govt. has every right to do. When people have greater choice prices come down. Don't get me wrong here Care I'm all for reforming the health insurance industry however I don't think the way to do about it is to have a Federal Govt. mandated insurance program nor a Federal Govt. insurance option in direct competetion with the same companies you regulate.
very glad to see you back!
